Lost Era 06_ Catalyst of Sorrows - Margaret Wander Bonanno [140]
“If you were human, I’d recommend counseling,” was Crusher’s opinion. “After a lifetime of being told you don’t exist, you’re suddenly faced with a lot of choices.”
“Am I?” Zetha asked. It had never occurred to her that she would be free to decide. She assumed the reason Admiral Uhura had asked to see her was in order to give her instructions for her next mission. Wasn’t it obvious that she must now be used as a weapon against her own people?
Don’t anticipate, she told herself. Wait until you hear what the admiral has to say.
For what seemed like the thousandth time, Uhura reread her resignation letter, fiddled with the commas and semicolons, saved it, and considered. Her perfectly manicured finger hovered over the Send button and almost came down. She thought of her Listeners still in the field, the numberless spiderweb threads flung out from this office across two quadrants, constantly sending information her way and resonating to her guidance. Not for the first time, she wondered what would happen to all of them if she resigned.
What makes you think you’re the only one who can do this? she asked herself. Offhand you can think of half a dozen people you’ve handpicked and trained yourself who could do as well or better.
But what guarantee did she have that the C-in-C would take her suggestions and replace her with one of those handpicked agents? The answer, she knew, was no guarantee at all. For some reason, she couldn’t get Sloan out of her mind.
Her finger hovered over the Send button yet again. Who do you think you’re kidding? she asked herself ruefully, before putting the resignation letter away for another year just as Thysis buzzed Zetha in.
“You wanted to see me, Admiral?”
Uhura motioned her to a chair. The girl sat on the edge. She was as petite as Sisko was large, but her coiled and waiting posture at the end of this mission was a mirror image of his at the beginning.
“I have some news for you,” Uhura began. “It’s about your Godmother.”
“When… how-?” Please! Zetha asked whatever gods or Elements might be paying attention. Please tell me…
“Before the away team even left Earth, I sent word back to Senator Cretak that you and your message had arrived safely. I told her what you’d told Tuvok during your interrogation, in an attempt to get confirmation from her that your story checked out. At the same time, I had one of my Listeners search for Aemetha.”
Admiral Uhura paused and smiled. “Your Godmother is alive and well. In fact, my Listener reports that Senator Cretak has given the truth to your original story and more or less adopted her. I’m told she intends to put forward some legislation to pay some attention to the street urchins. She’s doubtful it will pass the full Senate, but she indicated that if it doesn’t, she will at least see to Aemetha’s house.”
Zetha said nothing. If Aemetha had escaped the Tal Shiar’s reach, likely Tahir had as well. Did she dare ask? If the admiral knew, she would have told her. Don’t ask for too much, she thought. She heard Uhura sigh.
“It’s been a luxury being able to communicate with Cretak this far,” the admiral said, almost to herself. “I’m afraid what happened on Renaga-even though officially it never happened-will make communication that much more difficult from now on. But-” Uhura seemed to remember she was thinking out loud. She stopped herself and smiled again at Zetha. “Neither your problem nor your concern, my dear. Do you have any idea what you would like to do next? Or have we yet convinced you that we don’t intend to kill you?”
Zetha suppressed a small smile, then grew serious. The question frankly puzzled her.
“I assumed I would now serve you.”
“Is that what you’d like to do?” Uhura asked. “You don’t have to, you know. You’re free to do whatever you want.”
“But-” Zetha started to say, then stopped herself. She didn’t even know what